Flat fluorescent lamps are planar “light bulbs” that produce light over their entire surface area. Many operate as dielectric barrier discharge lamps, which are constructed of two sheets of glass with external or dielectric-encapsulated internal planar electrodes that are used to produce a plasma discharge. The plasma is energized by a high voltage applied to the electrodes, which produces a breakdown in the gas. The gas breakdown products cause luminescence, usually in a phosphor, such that the lamp produces light.
Conventional flat fluorescent lamp designs rely on complex geometries and structures that require expensive and complex fabrication processes, such as those used for plasma display panel (PDP) production. These processes may include the use of thick film dielectric paste screening and firing, MgO thin film deposition, and photolithography-patterned metal electrodes. The complex construction and expensive manufacturing processes used to make these conventional lamps drive up the costs of the lamp. To be competitive with the ubiquitous light bulb, there is a great need in the planar plasma lamp field to create a new and useful plasma lamp and method of manufacture that reduces lamp costs.